Clamping-ring for pipe-couplings and process of making same.



J. CLARK. CLAMPING RUM FOR PIPE COUPLINGS AIJD PROCESS'OF MAMNG SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6,1918.

Patented Dec. 1?} 1918.

ZSHEETS-SHEET 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' JAMES CLARK, or BRADFORD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR ro s. a. DRESSERMANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OF BRADFORD, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OFPENNSYL- VANIA.

CLAMPING-BING FOR PIPE-COUPLINGS AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

7 '0 all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, JAMEsCLARK, a citizenof the United States, residing at Bradpertains to make and use the same.

My invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described,reference being had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate oneform in which I have contemplated embodying my invention, and one formof mechanism by which it may be carried into effect, and the saidinvention is fully disclosed in the following description and claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a clamping ring for pipecouplings of the.

kind generally termed rubber packed. pipe couplings, which. is adaptedespecially forsmaller sizes of pipe, formed of wrought metal such aswrought iron or steel, and so constructed as to provide reat strengthand durability and capable of eing very cheaply manufactured, and myinvention also 111- cludes the improved method of manufacturing theseclamping rings commercially.

My improved clamping ring hereinafter described, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, is an improvement on the clamping ring set forthin my former patent of the United States #849,371, dated April 9, 1907.In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my improved clamping ring.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig; 4 is a central longitudinal section of the ring. Fig. 5 is asection on the line 55 of Fig. 2. I i

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the blank from which the ring is formed.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the die pressing mechanism, by which thering is produced, showing to be pressed.

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the posi- Specification of LettersPatent.

the blank in position ready Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

Application filed July 6, 1918. Serial No. 243,729.

In my former patent above alluded to, I

have shown a clamping ring having some of the general characteristics ofmy present clamping ring, but'formed in two parts requiring separateoperations for the production of each and necessitating'that the partsbe assembled and preferably welded or brazed together, as otherwise theseparate parts are apt to become disassociated in shipping and handlingthe clamping rings and result in delay and loss of valuable time inassembling and using the device.

A clamping ring of the kind herein shownis intended for use inconnection with the well known type of Dresser pipe coupling and amongthe essentials of. construction may be mentioned the following. Aconcentrically located circular pipe aperture which should be preferablytrue and fit as closely to the pipe as possible, allowing the smallestpossible margin for the inevitable variations in the exterior surfacesof the pipe; an annular packing recess surrounding the pipe aperture toreceive a rubber or other packing ring, a plate portion provided withbolt holes disposed-laterally of the packing recess and havingsufficient strength after the formation of the bolt holes to withstandthe great pressure exerted by the bolt which produces a compression ofthe rubber or other packing ring and forces it against an annular middlering or equivalent sleeve portion of the coupling and against theexter-ior surface of the pipe with Such pressure as to make gas-tightjoints capable of sustaining great internal pressure at all times, whilepermitting longitudinal movement of the pipe with respect to thecouplingto accommodate the expansion and contraction of the pipes due tochanges in atmospheric conditions.

I will first describe the construction of my improved clamping ringwhich is illustrated in Figs. .1 to 5 inclusive of the, accompanyingdrawings. This ring comprises a plate member ;1 preferably of ovalshape,

which is provided with a centrally, truly circular pipe aperture 2, andwith bolt holes -33 disposed at equal distances from the center of l thepipe aperture. Integrally with the plate member 1 and surrounding thepipe aperture 2 is a circular flange 4,

, projecting from one face of the plate member and forming a circularwall, the diameter of the circle being greater than that .of the pipeaperture, thus forming an annular packing recess to surround the pipewhen the latter is placed in engagement with the pipe aperture 2. InFig. 4 I- have indicated the position of the pipe in dotted lines andhave also indicated this packing recess at 5.

The formation of the bolt holes 3 and pipe aperture 2 necessarily removelarge quantities of the metal from the plate member 1 and in order tostrengthen the structure and prevent the buckling of the plate memberand flange 4, the plate member is provided with a marginal flange 6which .is formed integral with the annular flange 4, and proj ects fromthe plate member on the same side as the flange 4. This construction initself imparts great strength to the plate member 1, and also to theflange 4, which it will be understood is also integral with the platemember 1, thus uniting the elemental parts of the couplin in anintegrally braced structure so that t. 1e bolt strain and the strain onthe packing recess is distributed and equalized through the integralconnection between the reinforcing flange 6, and the plate member 1, andflange 4.

It is not necessary to of as great height as the flange 4 of the packingrecess. and Itherefore prefer to have the portionsof theflange-G at eachend of the plate member 1 of less height than the flange 4.- and toprovide inclined shoulders, indicated at 6, at the four points where theflange 6 merges into and unites with the flange 4, on opposite sides ofthe clamping ring. In order to further reinforce the ring, I prefer toform the flange 4 of greater. width adjacent to the plate member than atits outer edge and tohave it merge into the plate member in a curvedshoulder on the outer and inner side of the flange, as indicated at 4and 4", see Fig. 4,'and likewise merge the inner face of the flange 6into the have the flange 6.

sEsT AVAILABLE cor shoulders 6, one of which is shown in detail in Fig.5, which is a section on the line.

5-5 of Fig. 2, the increased metal in this.

i. The improved ring shown in Figs. 1 to 5 incluslve is formed b r a hotconnressm .3 l 5 operation from a blank illustrated in Fig. 6 which isof' greater thickness than the plate member 1 of the finished ring, butof less thickness than the height of flanges and 6, and particularly ofthe flange 4. In the production of this improved clamping ring I employtwo operations. The first operation is a hot compression between diesand in Figs. 7 and 8 I have illustrated one form of die which issuitable for carrying out this compression step. In these figures 1Orepresents the female die which is provided with a central a erture ofoval form to receive the blank ilustrated at A in Fig. 6, said femalemember being provided with the usual stripper 11. 12 represents the maledie which is provided with projecting portions 13, 14, 15 and recesses16, 17. The projections 14 is of circular shape of the size of thecircle within the flange 4:; the'proj ections 13 and 15 are of the sizeand form of the recesses at each end of the finished ring between theflanges 4 and 6; the recesses 16 and 17 of the die are of the form ofthe flanges t and 6 thereof and are so constructed as to produce thecurved or inclined shoulders 4, 47 6, 6 and 6 hereinbefore described.

The blank. A is punched, stamped, or otherwise formed of sheet metalpreferably steel or wrought iron of the size and shape of the peripheryof the clamping ring to be made and of the proper thickness to pro-'vide suflicient' metal to completely fill the recesses between the diemembers 10 and 11 and 12, when the upper die is forced to its finalposition. Theblank isheated to a softening temperature and placed on thestripper 11 within the die member 10, as shown in Fig. 7, and theforming die 12 is then forced downwardly by hydraulic pressure (or othersuitable power), squeezing the blank with sufii cient pressure to causethe metal to flow and fill the recesses inthe forming die 12, as shownin Fig. 8 in which arrows illustrate. although inadequately, themannerin which outer face of the plate member to the cute face of the flange4, and preferably from th outer face of the flange member to the outeface of the flange 6, than the thickness o the original blank.

the displaced metal of the blank flows upward into'the recess portions16 and 17 of the die so as to produce the flanges 4; and 6 .and producethe form of the clamping ring which will be of greater thickness from thupon by suitable with said annular menses v The ring thus formed fromthe die by the stripper 11 and operated punching mechanism by means ofwhich the pipe aperture 2 is formed so that it actly concentric with theinner wall of the flange 4:, the bolt holes 3 being also punchedpreferably at the same operation at equal distances on opposite sides ofthe center of the pipe aperture. If the pipe aperture is not formedtruly circular, a much greater allowance or clearance must be allowedbetween the inner edge of the pipe aperture and the pipe, as it isnecessary to allow for any inequalities both in the pipe aperture and inthe pipe. y making the aperture truly circular, a very minute allowanceis all that is necessary, and only for the usual inequalities in theexterior surface of the pipe. This. secures a fairly tight fit of thepipe aperture around the pipe and prevents the possibility of the innerportions of the rubber or other gasket being crowded through the spacebetween the pipe aperture and the pipe, which might otherwise occur. Theformation of the bolt apertures in this exact and accurate manner alsoresults in producing a ring which is equally stifl and strong towithstand strain on each side-of the pipe so that there is no danger ofthe strength of the clamping ring being impaired on one or both sides byan unequal spacing of the bolt holes, which would result in disturbingthe correct distribution of the bolt strain and the strain on the recessas hereinbefore described. It is obvious that this clamping ring caneconomically produced on a commercial scale and it can also be made fromscrap material, and thus efiect still greater econ-- omy of manufacture.

' Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. A clampingring for pipe couplings formed-of wrought metal in one piece andcomprising a plate member having a central aperture, bolt holes exteriorthereto, an annular flange member concentric with and surrounding thecentral pipe aperture pro jecting from one face of and formed integralwith the plate member, said plate member being also provided on the sameface as the said flange with a marginal reinforcin flange integral withthe plate member an having portions integral with and merging flange.2'.'.A clamping ring for pipe couplings formed of'wrought comprising aflanged plate member provided with a circular centrally locatedpipeaperture, and bolt holes located on opposite sides of the center of thepipe aperture, said plate member being provided with an annular flangesurrounding and concentric with the pipe aperture, and formed integrallywith be very is then removed is truly circular and ex- I packing metalin one piece and r the plate member,

-ad acent to their union flanges and reinforce the 4 structure of thering at the points offunion v integral with the and being also providedWith a marginal reinforcing flange integral i l j with the plate memberand having portions:

merged into and integral with said annular flange, said flanges havingcurved shoulders with the late-member to thicken the of said flangeswith said plate member.

3. A clamping ring for pipe couplings formed of wrought metal in onepiece and comprising a flanged plate member provided with a circularcentrally located pipe aperture, and bolt holes located on oppositesides of the center of the pipe aperture, said plate member beingprovided with an annular flange surrounding and concentric With the pipeaperture, and formed integrally with the plate'member, and being alsoprovided with a marginal reinforcing flange integral merged into andintegral with-sald annular flange, inclined shoulders being formedinside of the marginal flange and exterior to the annular flange attheir four points of intersection with each other and with the platemember by thickening walls of said flanges to reinforce the ringstructure.

4:. A clamping ring for pipe couplings formed of wrought metal in onepiece and comprising a flanged plate member -provided with a circularcentrallylocated pipe aperture, and bolt holes located on opposite sidesof the center of the pipe aperture,.said plate member being providedwithan annular flange surrounding and concentric the adjacent with the pipeaperture, andformed inte grally with the plate member, and being alsoprovided with a marginal reinforcing flange plate member portions mergedinto and integral with sai annular flange, said flanges having curvedshoulders adjacent to their union with the plate member to thicken the.fl inforce the structure of the ring at the points ofunionof saidflanges with said plate member, throughout the and said ringhaving'inclined shoulders formed inside of the marginal flange andexterior to the annular flange at their four points of intersection with'eachother and havinganges and re-- extent of said and with theplatemember, to additionally reinforce and stiffen the structure of the ring.

ing an integral wrought metal clamping ring for pipe cou li'ngs havinga-flat plate member, a central y disposed annular flange on one facethereof, and a marginal flan e 5. The herein described processof'formintegral with said plate member and said annular flange, whichconsists in formin a blank of. wrought sheet metal having the peripheralform of the completed rin and being of less thickness than the height ofas with the plate member and having portions tions thereof and portionsadjaoentto each end within the marginal limits of the blank,

and cause the displaced metal to flow in a direction away to themarginal of the blank,

6. The hereining an integral ring for pipe central truly circular .pipeaperture, bolt holes exterior thereto, an annular flange surrounding thepi e aperture, and a .marginal flange integra with t e late membergortions from the face of the blank around said centraldepression and adacent a direction awa escribed process of formto produce sai wroughtmetal clamping? couplings provided with a and said annular flange, whichconsists in forming a substantiall oval blank from wrought sheet metal,having the exterior peripheral form of the finished ring, heating saidblank to a temperature which will permit the ,metal to flow undercompression, compressing the metal to dis lace the centrally locatedportions on one ace, and portions, adjacent to each end of the blank,and causing the displaced metal to flow in from the face of the blankflanges, and punching the pipe aperture and said bolt holes through thedepressed portions of the blank.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JAMES CLARK.

